The people bring joy, but God brings life
At Bethany, the people bring joy, but God brings life. But before you switch tabs or close your browser, hear me out! 140 characters are not enough to express what I have to say about 3 more important characters – you, me and God.
The excellence which brings delight
When I think of Bethany, the first thing that leaps to mind is the people. In Psalm 16:3, the writer’s soul says of his fellow believers “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” I am constantly impressed, touched and encouraged by what is done at Bethany, and… that brings me delight.
As our church motto goes, people care for people – and when this happens, it is beautiful, excellent and delightful!
The God who brings life
But any old group of people can love each other… what makes Bethany special? This is not a ‘what’, but a ‘who’ question… and the answer is God! He is the special One. Friendships can sour, fervour can fade. Many churches have fallen apart or gone astray… due to petty disagreements and false doctrines… and we at Bethany are susceptible too… But God is the One who makes the difference.
No matter who we are – young, old, doctor, teacher, English-speaking, dialect-speaking, pastor, newcomer, etc – we are all sinners, and no matter how many concerts we perform in, how many camps we attend or serve at – we are still sinners.
All our brilliance, intelligence, effort has always, and will always, come up short. We stand before God with our heads hung in judgment, and we sink to our knees, because we are simply not worthy, not right, no good, before an all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing and majestic God. All these… if there was no Jesus!
Jesus came to die in our place. It is through Him alone that we can get off our knees, get on our feet and get on with God, and hear Him declare us “good” and “righteous” and “worthy” to be sons and servants and heirs. As the writer says in Psalm 16:2, “[our] goodness is nothing apart from Him”.
This is why our church, and our church motto, starts with God – because if we are not “God’s kind of church”, we are no church at all. And if God is not touching lives, then no lives are touched at all. Personally, this is what I give thanks for most of all at Bethany’s anniversary – that God has been here, and He has been touching lives with His gracious salvation.
Response
So what shall we do in the face of such goodness from God?
This anniversary, don’t just enjoy what is easy to enjoy (the food, the songs, the ballroom), but look around you… and delight in the people you see… in the love shown by pastors, teachers and friends… in the companionship and camaraderie as we learn, grow and serve together…
But don’t just look around… remember to look up to God. Let Him rule and reign in every corner of your life – because He and He alone has given you and me the best thing in the world – His goodness for our sin, His goodness for eternity.